RECLAIMING OUR HOPE

Habakkuk 3:17-18; Romans 8:31-35,37-39

Rev. Paul Wrightman  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 1/28/24

OUR TOPIC THIS MORNING IS​​ HOPE.

I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU,

BUT I’M FINDING IT MORE AND MORE​​ CHALLENGING

TO BE A PERSON OF HOPE.

MY STRUGGLE TO FIND HOPE​​ 

SPRINGS FROM A COMBINATION OF FACTORS.

I’LL MENTION JUST FIVE OUT OF A MULTITUDE:

THE FACT THAT CONCERN FOR THE WELL-BEING OF​​ OTHERS

IS BEING SHELVED FOR​​ SELF-INTEREST ON A GLOBAL SCALE;

THE FACT THAT WITHIN TWO OR THREE DECADES

HUMANKIND WILL HAVE PUSHED TO EXTINCTION

TWO THIRDS OF ALL OTHER SPECIES;

THE FACT THAT WHEN IT COMES TO DEALING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE

IT LOOKS LIKE WE’RE DOING TOO LITTLE TOO LATE,

AND THAT THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE CATASTROPHIC;

THE FACT THAT THE WORLD​​ COULD VERY WELL STUMBLE​​ 

INTO WORLD WAR III.

THE FACT THAT POLITICS IN OUR OWN COUNTRY

HAVE GOTTEN SO TOXIC THAT WE SEEM TO BE​​ 

ON THE VERGE OF A REPEAT OF THE CIVIL WAR.

IN TAKING A HARD LOOK THIS WEEK​​ 

AT THE ISSUES DAMPENING MY OWN HOPE FOR THE FUTURE,

I​​ REALIZED THAT THE COMMON DENOMINATOR

BEHIND ALL OF THEM IS​​ FEAR:

FEAR THAT ALL THE NEGATIVE THINGS WE HEAR ABOUT SO OFTEN

WILL ACTUALLY COME TO PASS,

FEAR THAT HUMANKIND WILL FAIL TO PASS

THE VARIOUS TESTS FACING US,

FEAR THAT ULTIMATELY EVIL

WILL PROVE TO BE MORE POWERFUL THAN GOOD.

IN LOOKING AT MY OWN FEAR THIS WEEK,

AND SEEING HOW – IF LEFT UNCHECKED –

IT COULD PARALYZE MY FAITH,

I WAS REMINDED OF A LITERARY CLASSIC

THAT I FIRST READ IN HIGH SCHOOL,

AND THEN AGAIN IN COLLEGE: ​​ ROBINSON CRUSOE.

THIS BOOK IS ACTUALLY MUCH​​ MORE

THAN A GREAT ADVENTURE STORY.

IT’S A STORY​​ ABOUT GOD’S PROVIDENTIAL CARE.

MUCH LIKE THE PRODIGAL SON IN THE PARABLE OF THAT NAME,

CRUSOE BREAKS HIS FATHER’S HEART AND LEAVES HOME.

HE LIVES A WILD, RECKLESS, SELF-ABSORBED

AND SELF-CENTERED LIFE,

FINALLY DECIDING TO SAIL TO THE WEST INDIES

TO MAKE HIS FAME AND FORTUNE.

MOST OF US KNOW THE STORY OF HOW HIS SHIP IS WRECKED

AND HE FINDS HIMSELF ALONE ON A SEEMINGLY DESERTED ISLAND.

MOST OF US FORGET THE NEXT PART OF THE STORY –

HOW CRUSOE FINDS A BIBLE IN THE SHIP’S WRECKAGE,

READS IT, FINDS GOD, LETS GOD TURN HIS LIFE AROUND,

AND BECOMES A COMPASSIONATE AND CARING PERSON OF FAITH.

THIS ALL DISSOLVES IN AN INSTANT WHEN CRUSOE DISCOVERS

A FOOTPRINT IN THE SAND THAT IS NOT HIS OWN.

HE ALLOWS FEAR TO TAKE OVER,

AND AS FEAR ALWAYS DOES WHEN GIVEN THE UPPER HAND,

HIS FEAR VANQUISHES HIS FAITH AND HIS HOPE.

THE MOST FASCINATING THING ABOUT​​ ROBINSON CRUSOE​​ FOR ME

WAS THE WAY IN WHICH ITS AUTHOR, DANIEL DEFOE,

DESCRIBES CRUSOE’S LOSS OF HOPE AND FAITH.

DOES THIS PASSAGE REMIND YOU OF YOURSELF AT TIMES?

IT CERTAINLY CAPTURES WHAT GOES ON INSIDE OF ME

WHEN I ALLOW FEAR TO TAKE OVER:

THUS MY FEAR​​ BANISHED​​ ALL MY RELIGIOUS HOPE.

ALL THAT FORMER​​ CONFIDENCE​​ IN GOD,

WHICH WAS FOUNDED UPON SUCH WONDERFUL​​ EXPERIENCE

AS I HAD HAD OF GOD’S GOODNESS, NOW​​ VANISHED,

AS IF THE GOD THAT HAD FED ME HITHERTO

COULD NOT PRESERVE, BY HIS​​ POWER,

THE PROVISION WHICH HE HAD MADE FOR ME

BY HIS GOODNESS.

FORTUNATELY FOR CRUSOE, THE REALIZATION

THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY​​ ENCOURAGING​​ THE DEATH​​ 

OF HIS FAITH AND HOPE BY ALLOWING HIS FEAR TO TAKE OVER

SCARED HIM SO MUCH THAT IT BROUGHT HIM BACK TO GOD.

HE RECOGNIZED THAT ALLOWING HIMSELF TO RUN ON FEAR,

ALLOWING HIMSELF TO​​ BE​​ RUN BY FEAR,

WOULD BE A​​ WORSE​​ ALTERNATIVE

THAN BEING CAPTURED BY CANNIBALS.

RECONNECTING WITH THE STORY OF ROBINSON CRUSOE

HELPED ME TO UNDERSTAND THE DANGER

OF ALLOWING FEAR TO TAKE OVER IN MY OWN LIFE.

IT PUSHED ME TO ASK MYSELF THE QUESTION

“DO I REALLY WANT​​ FEAR​​ TO BE THE MAIN​​ 

OPERATIVE REALITY IN MY LIFE?”

AND IF MY ANSWER IS A STRONG “NO!”, WHICH IT IS,

IT PUSHES ME TO REAFFIRM THE REALITIES OF FAITH AND HOPE

AS THE STRONGEST​​ ANTIDOTES​​ TO FEAR.

SO WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR​​ FEELINGS​​ OF FEAR?

RATHER THAN​​ ACT​​ ON OUR FEAR

AND ALLOW IT TO GRADUALLY ERODE OUR FAITH AND OUR HOPE,

A HEALTHIER APPROACH WOULD SIMPLY BE TO​​ SHARE​​ 

OUR FEELINGS OF HELPLESSNESS AND FEAR WITH GOD.

MY FEELING RESPONSE OF LATE

TO THE BROKENNESS OF OUR WORLD

HAS BEEN TO SAY TO GOD OVER AND OVER AGAIN

THE WORDS FROM THE PROPHET ISAIAH:

“O THAT YOU WOULD TEAR OPEN THE HEAVENS AND COME DOWN!”

(Isaiah 64:1a)

WHEN I’M FEELING HOPELESS AND FINALLY DECIDE

TO​​ DO​​ SOMETHING TO MOVE ON,

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT I DO

IS TO THINK ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAD IT A LOT WORSE THAN ME.

THE WORST ​​ POSSIBLE SITUATION I CAN THINK OF

IS BEING CONDEMNED TO ONE OF THE NAZI DEATH CAMPS

IN WORLD WAR II.

TO ME, THIS HAS LONG REPRESENTED

THE EPITOME OF HOPELESSNESS.

YOU CAN IMAGINE MY​​ SURPRISE

AT REDISCOVERING THE FOLLOWING ILLUSTRATION,

WHICH I’D​​ USED​​ IN A PREVIOUS SERMON,​​ 

BUT BY NOW HAD FORGOTTEN:

“AT THE UNIVERSITY THERE WAS A PIANO TEACHER

WHO WAS SIMPLY AND AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS ‘HERMAN.’

ONE NIGHT AT A UNIVERSITY CONCERT,

A DISTINGUISHED PIANO PLAYER SUDDENLY BECAME ILL

WHILE PERFORMING AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT PIECE.

NO SOONER HAD THE ARTIST RETIRED FROM THE STAGE

WHEN HERMAN ROSE FROM HIS SEAT IN THE AUDIENCE,

WALKED ONSTAGE, SAT DOWN AT THE PIANO,

AND WITH GREAT MASTERY COMPLETED THE PERFORMANCE.

LATER THAT EVENING, AT A PARTY,

ONE OF THE STUDENTS ASKED HERMAN

HOW HE WAS ABLE TO PERFORM SUCH A DEMANDING PIECE

SO BEAUTIFULLY WITHOUT NOTICE AND WITH NO REHEARSAL.

HE REPLIED: ‘IN 1939, WHEN I WAS A BUDDING YOUNG

CONCERT PIANIST, I WAS ARRESTED

AND PLACED IN A NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP.

PUTTING IT MILDLY, THE FUTURE LOOKED BLEAK.

BUT I KNEW THAT IN ORDER​​ 

TO KEEP THE FLICKER OF HOPE ALIVE

THAT I MIGHT SOMEDAY PLAY AGAIN,

I NEEDED TO PRACTICE EVERY DAY.

I BEGAN BY FINGERING A PIECE FROM MY REPERTOIRE

ON MY BARE BOARD BED LATE ONE NIGHT.

THE NEXT NIGHT I ADDED A SECOND PIECE

AND SOON I WAS RUNNING THROUGH MY ENTIRE REPERTOIRE.

I DID THIS EVERY NIGHT FOR FIVE YEARS.

IT SO HAPPENS THAT THE PIECE I PLAYED TONIGHT

WAS PART OF THAT REPERTOIRE.

THAT CONSTANT​​ PRACTICE​​ IS WHAT KEPT MY HOPE ALIVE.

EVERY DAY I​​ RENEWED​​ MY HOPE

THAT I WOULD ONE DAY BE ABLE TO PLAY MY MUSIC AGAIN

ON A REAL PIANO, AND IN FREEDOM.” ​​ (End Quote)

I LEARNED A LOT FROM THIS STORY.

I DID A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT

AND TRIED TO PUT MYSELF IN A SIMILAR POSITION.

I REALIZED THAT EVEN IN THIS IMPOSSIBLE POSITION

IS STILL HAD​​ MORE​​ CHOICES

THAN SIMPLY TO GIVE UP AND DIE.

LIKE HERMAN, I​​ COULD​​ CHOOSE​​ 

TO PRACTICE MY VOCATION EVERY DAY.

TRYING TO PUT MYSELF IN HIS PLACE,

I GOT A GLIMPSE OF THE COURAGE AND DETERMINATION

THAT HIS DAILY PRACTICE EMBODIED.

IT WAS HERMAN’S WAY OF CHOOSING TO REMAIN

TRUE​​ TO​​ HIMSELF​​ NO MATTER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES HE WAS IN.

AND BY EXTENSION – SINCE HE ACKNOWLEDGED GOD

AS THE GIVER OF THE GIFT OF BEING AN ACCOMPLISHED PIANIST –

PRACTICING EVERY DAY WAS ALSO HERMAN’S WAY

OF CHOOSING TO REMAIN​​ TRUE​​ TO​​ GOD

NO MATTER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES HE WAS IN.

IN CHOOSING TO EXERCISE HIS GOD-GIVEN MUSICAL GIFT

IN A PLACE WHERE GOD WAS SEEMINGLY ABSENT,

HERMAN WAS DOING SOMETHING PARALLEL

TO THE PROPHET HABAKKUK​​ 

IN THE FIRST OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READINGS.

THE HOPELESS SITUATION FOR HABAKKUK​​ 

WAS LIVING DURING THE TIME OF JERUSALEM’S DESTRUCTION

BY THE BABYLONIANS.

THERE WAS NO SHELTER, NO FOOD, NO NATION,

AND, ONE WOULD THINK, NO HOPE.

YET​​ IN​​ SPITE​​ OF​​ THE HOPELESSNESS

OF HIS AND HIS PEOPLE’S CIRCUMSTANCES,

THE PROPHET HABAKKUK CHOOSES TO​​ INSIST​​ ON HOPE:

“THOUGH​​ THE FIG TREE DOES NOT BUD

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ AND THERE ARE NO GRAPES ON THE VINES,

THOUGH THE OLIVE CROP FAILS

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ AND THE FIELDS PRODUCE NO FOOD,

THOUGH THERE ARE NO SHEEP IN THE PEN

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ AND NO CATTLE IN THE STALLS,

YET​​ I​​ WILL​​ REJOICE IN THE LORD,

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ I​​ WILL​​ BE JOYFUL IN GOD MY SAVIOR.”

(Habakkuk 3:17-18, NIV)

WHAT HERMAN’S ILLUSTRATION TEACHES ME

IS THAT HOPE IS A​​ CHOICE.

HERMAN​​ COULD​​ HAVE CHOSEN​​ DESPAIR​​ AND GIVEN UP.

INSTEAD, HE CHOSE​​ HOPE​​ AND KEPT GOING.

IN CHOOSING HOPE INSTEAD OF DESPAIR,

HERMAN WAS CHOOSING TO REMAIN TRUE

TO HIS OWN HUMANITY.

HE WAS CHOOSING TO REMAIN TRUE

TO HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

IN SPITE OF THE FACT

THAT IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER

TO REJECT GOD FOR APPARENTLY ABANDONING HIM.

ONE GETS THE DISTINCT IMPRESSION

THAT EVEN IF HERMAN HAD​​ NOT​​ MADE IT​​ 

OUT OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMP ALIVE,​​ ​​ 

HIS CHOICE TO PRACTICE HIS MUSIC EVERY DAY

WOULD HAVE ENPOWERED HIM TO MEET HIS DEATH

WITH HIS HUMANITY AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD INTACT.

ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT THING THAT I LEARNED

FROM HERMAN’S CONCERT HALL ILLUSTRATION

IS THAT HOPE HAS TO BE​​ PRACTICED​​ ON A DAILY BASIS.

HOPE WITHOUT PRACTICE GOES INTO​​ HIBERNATION

AND EVENTUALLY​​ DIES.

BUT WHERE DOES HOPE​​ COME​​ FROM?

I THINK THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION –

LIKE THE ANSWER TO THE SIMILAR QUESTIONS

WHERE DOES MUSIC COME FROM?,​​ ​​ 

WHERE DOES MATHEMATICS COME FROM?,

WHERE DOES TRUTH COME FROM?,

WHERE DOES BEAUTY COME FROM?,​​ 

AND​​ WHERE DOES GOODNESS COME FROM --​​ 

WOULD BE THAT THESE TRANSCENDENT REALITIES

COME FROM​​ GOD’S​​ DIMENSION,

WHICH IS​​ PART​​ OF THIS WORLD, BUT ALSO​​ BEYOND​​ IT.

AFTER​​ ​​ ALL, THE EXCLAMATION

O THAT YOU WOULD TEAR OPEN THE HEAVENS AND COME DOWN!

ASSUMES THAT THERE IS AN ADDITIONAL DIMENSION OUT THERE

FOR GOD TO COME DOWN FROM.

I THINK THIS IS WHY THE APPEARANCE OF HOPE

IN A HOPELESS SITUATION

APPEARS TO COME FROM A PLACE​​ OUTSIDE​​ OF,​​ APART​​ FROM,

THE HOPELESS SITUATION ITSELF.

THIS IS THE REVOLUTIONARY REVELATION

OF NAMING JESUS “EMMANUEL,” WHICH MEANS

“GOD WITH US,” OR “GOD​​ IS​​ WITH US.”

JESUS AS HUMAN PERSON IS​​ PART​​ OF THIS WORLD;

JESUS AS THE HUMAN FACE OF GOD IS AT THE SAME TIME

BEYOND​​ HIS WORLD.

SCRIPTURE’S RESPONSE TO THE DEEPEST YEARNING OF OUR HEARTS:

O THAT YOU WOULD TEAR OPEN THE HEAVENS AND COME DOWN!

IS THAT GOD​​ HAS​​ TORN OPEN THE HEAVENS AND​​ HAS​​ COME DOWN!

SOMETIMES WE NEED TO BE​​ REMINDED​​ OF THIS;

SOMETIMES​​ I​​ NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THIS.

SO WHEN I GET DRAGGED DOWN BY​​ 

CLIMATE CHANGE AND SPECIES EXTINCTION,

AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF CIVIL AND NUCLEAR WAR,

I REMIND MYSELF OF SOMETHING BIGGER AND DEEPER: ​​ GOD’S LOVE.

ST. PAUL SAYS IT WELL:

FOR I AM CONVINCED THAT NEITHER DEATH, NOR LIFE,

NOR ANGELS, NOR RULERS, NOR THINGS PRESENT,

NOR THINGS TO COME, NOR POWERS, NOR HEIGHT, NOR DEPTH,

NOR ANYTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION,

WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD

IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.

(Romans 8: 38-39, NRSV)

SO​​ HOW​​ CAN WE KEEP THIS HOPE IN GOD’S LOVE ALIVE?

THE ANSWER, I THINK, IS IN THIS STORY BY CHRISTINE CONTI.

SHE WRITES:

“ONE DAY​​ GUIDEPOSTS​​ SENT ME TO INTERVIEW

MARATHON RUNNER BILL RODGERS.

AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW,

I MENTIONED THAT I WOULD BE HANDING OUT WATER TO RUNNERS

IN THE NEXT NEW YORK CITY MARATHON.

‘GREAT!’ HE SAID.

‘YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW IMPORTANT WATER IS TO US RUNNERS.’

THEN HE TOLD ME HOW, EARLY IN HIS RACING CAREER,

HE RAN THE FIRST TEN MILES OF A MARATHON

WITHOUT STOPPING FOR WATER.

HE WAS RUNNING WELL AND HE THOUGHT HE DIDN’T​​ NEED​​ IT.

AT SEVENTEEN MILES, HOWEVER, HIS MUSCLES CRAMPED

AND HE ‘HIT THE WALL’; HE HAD TO STOP.

‘I KNOW NOW,’ HE EXPLAINED,

‘THAT YOU HAVE TO KEEP​​ REPLACING​​ THE WATER

THAT YOU LOSE IN SWEAT.

AND IF YOU DON’T TAKE ANY WATER EARLY IN THE RACE,

YOU’LL DEHYDRATE LATER ON.

‘THE POINT IS,’ RODGERS SUMMED UP,

‘YOU HAVE TO TAKE WATER EVEN WHEN YOU THINK

YOU DON’T NEED IT.’”

OUR AUTHOR CONCLUDES:

“WHAT AN OBVIOUS PARALLEL BETWEEN RUNNING A MARATHON

AND LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

HOW OFTEN I’VE FELT SO STRONG AND CONFIDENT

THAT I DIDN’T SEEM TO NEED JESUS, YET JESUS SAID,

‘IF ANY THIRST, LET THEM COME UNTO ME AND DRINK.’

(John 7:37)

AND JESUS MIGHT HAVE​​ ADDED:

‘EVEN WHEN YOU THINK YOU DON’T NEED IT.’”

AMEN.